1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to an improved data processing system and in particular to a method and apparatus for editing electronic flight plans.
2. Background
A flight plan is a document typically filed by pilots or flight dispatcher prior to departure for a flight. This document may be both physical and electronic in form. A flight plan typically includes information such as, for example, departure points, en route points, arrival points, projected time en route, projected winds, alternate airports in case of bad weather, type of flight, pilots name, and other suitable information.
The different flight parameters, such as time to reach waypoints and fuel burn, may be recorded as comparison to the projected parameters in the flight plan. These actual parameters are compared with the projected flight plan parameters to identify abnormal flight progress. Abnormal flight progress may be used to identify flight safety issues.
Further, if an aircraft takes longer than expected to reach a particular waypoint resulting in increased fuel burn, changes in flight plan parameters may be needed, depending on the amount of fuel that is predicted to be needed to reach the destination. The changes may be, for example, changes in speed and/or route of the aircraft.
A pilot or other crew member typically records the actual value for the flight plan parameters as different waypoints are reached. These actual values are compared to the projected flight plan parameters. Currently, flight plan parameters for flight plans are written down on paper, either on a paper copy of the flight plan or on any piece of paper available. This type of process is cumbersome and requires a pilot or other crew member to focus on this task. As a result, a pilot or aircraft crew may be unable to perform other tasks unrelated to flying the aircraft during flight, which may require more time after the flight has been completed. This situation may result in longer times between flights with the additional time needed to perform the different duties involved in a flight that has been completed and in preparing for a new flight.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program code that overcomes the problems described above.